Bengals’ Lewis tops list of coaches on hot seat
We’re mere days away from Black Monday (and teams increasingly tend to get a jump on shopping for new coaches, opting for Black Sunday Night instead). And this year could be especially dark.
The Giants are weeks into their search to replace Ben McAdoo. Bruce Arians spent Tuesday denying a report he’s already got one foot out the door in Arizona, while Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was busy claiming Jason Garrett’s job is safe. And Marvin Lewis ... sigh.
Here’s the final installment of our weekly hot seat rankings.
1. Marvin Lewis, Bengals: It’s been a nice run, especially by Cincy standards, with seven playoff appearances in Lewis’ 15 seasons at the helm. But he has infamously gone 0-7 in the postseason and hasn’t even gotten there lately as he winds up his second consecutive sub
.500 campaign. With no contract for
2018 and the team in need of a new voice, it’s high time Lewis explored his free agent options. Last week: 1
2. Chuck Pagano, Colts: It’s probably a foregone conclusion he’s a goner. But Saturday’s loss in Baltimore was the latest example of an undermanned club fighting for 60 minutes against a superior opponent. If this is how it ends, Pagano can be proud of his tenure and confident he’ll land on someone’s staff in short order. Last week: 3
3. John Fox, Bears: At least he managed to avoid being victimized by the winless Browns on Sunday, almost surely Fox’s final appearance at Soldier Field as coach of the home team. Though Chicago has talent and appears to be turning the corner, Fox almost surely won’t be around when that happens after going 14-33. Last week: 2
4. Jim Caldwell, Lions: News of his offseason extension was officially a distant memory after Sunday’s face-plant against the hapless Bengals knocked Detroit from playoff contention. Could general manager Bob Quinn be turning his eyes to replacements with his former employer, the Patriots? Last week: 8
5. Dirk Koetter, Buccaneers: In Sunday’s loss, QB Jameis Winston yet again made a crucial mistake and then let his immaturity get the best of him. Not a good reflection on Koetter, whose team is 2-10 when Winston starts. At least Koetter was honest when acknowledging that talk about his job security has been a distraction. Last week: 4
6. Vance Joseph, Broncos: His team not only vastly underachieved but also hasn’t been competitive. Eight of Denver’s 10 losses have been by 10 or more points. And the players’ obvious disinterest as Brock Osweiler was trying to light a fire on the sideline Sunday wasn’t a good look. Given what Joseph had at QB, it seems unfair to make a rookie coach the fall guy. Last week: 5
7. Hue Jackson, Browns: Yes, ownership said he’d return for a third season after it opted to clean out the front office this month. But if Jackson wants to potentially take his 1-30 record back to, say, Cincinnati, would the organization and new GM John Dorsey fight all that hard to keep him? Last week: Unranked
8. Jay Gruden, Redskins: Similar to Jackson, a potential return to the Bengals for Gruden has the rumor mill in overdrive. Gruden’s done a nice job keeping the ’Skins near .500 given they lost nearly a dozen starters to injury and seem no closer to resolving the Kirk Cousins distraction. Last week: 6
9. Mike Mularkey, Titans: With QB Marcus Mariota’s development thrown into reverse and a loaded team desperately trying to clinch a playoff spot that once seemed inevitable, there could be trouble if the Jags thump the Titans in Nashville on Sunday. Last week: 7
10. Bill O’Brien, Texans: Amazingly, he’s been forced to spend the last few weeks answering questions about his job security and desire to remain with the team. How quickly some forget how great Houston looked earlier this season, when O’Brien had a legitimate quarterback (since injured Deshaun Watson). If O’Brien and the Texans part ways, expect him to instantly become the hottest candidate on the coaching market. Last week: Unranked